Felting machine



May 25, 1954 M. CASSE FELTING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 N!- Filed June 15, 1956 INVENTR ATI'O "(Nay May 25, 1954 M. CASSE 2,679,085

FELTING MACHINE I Filed June 15, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN EN'Po MM wlw A T FDR N57 May 25, 1954 CASSE j ,67

FELTING MACHINE Filed June 15, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 V IN VENTR daq a/fiw ATTQRNEV May 25, 1954 M. CASSE IFELTING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed June 15, 1950 INVENTOK Patented May 25, 1954 UNITED 13 Claims.

The present invention relates to themachines for felting articles such as hoods, i. e. hat bodies, made of fibers possessing felting properties.

It is known that the manufacture of hat bodies for the hat-making industry and similar articles composed. of woollen or hair felt includes a plurality of operations, the principal one of which resides in the felting (i. e. fulling) operation. This operation is carried out by passing the hat bodies or other articles a number of times through machines known as fulling or felting mills. There are various types of felting mills. One of the better known kinds is the multi-roller mill. This machine usually comprises two or three beds of rollers between which the hat bodies are introduced by a first operator, termed a setter. At the outlet end of the machine a second operator collects the bodies and conveys them first of all on a table (where two or three other operators subject them to an operation known as crozing which consists in shifting the position of the fold of the flattened article by sliding one of its faces in relation to the other thereby preventing any crease from appearing in the finished article) and puts them within reach of the above mentioned setter.

Various means have already been proposed for increasing the production of a given type of felting mill while reducing as far as possible the number of operators. For example, it is known to couple two or more felting mills in series, and conveyors have been provided to eliminate as far as possible manual operations.

The coupling of a plurality of felting mills in series is usually effected by conveying the hat bodies from one mill to the succeeding one with the aid of parallel cylindrical rollers of like diameter, but experience has shown that the output of two felting mills thus coupled is substantially less than twice the output of a single mill.

It would seem that the bodies which have just been felted in a certain angular position in the first mill and are presented in the same angular position to the feed point of the second mill are subjected merely to a reduced felting operation in the latter. Production, therefore, is not increased in proportion to the number of rollers. Moreover, ridges, marks and permanent creases appear on the bodies when too many rollers are provided.

Further, the conveyors utilized heretofore possibly do away with certain manual operations, but they do not avoid the fact that each of the bodies must be taken, lifted, crozed or stretched or conveyed anew by hand up to the feed side of the succeeding mill.

The present invention has for its object an improved machine for the felting or hat bodies and other articles made of fibers possessing felting properties, which enables the various disadvantages aforesaid to be avoided, whilst permitting of an almost entirely automatic treatment of said articles.

The invention has more particularly for its object a machine which comprises at least two roller-type felting mills, which are arranged in series, and between which there is disposed at conveying mechanism arranged in such way as to cause not only the passage of articles to be felted from one mill to another, but also a change in the angular position of the articles in relation to the rollers of the mills.

Other features of the invention will be apparent from the following description.

In the accompanying drawings, which are given solely by way of example:

Fig. 1 shows diagrammatically a longitudinal sectional View, taken along the line l-l of Fig.

I 2, of a machine according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a corresponding plan view;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view, taken along the line 33 of Fig. 4, of the mechanism for conveying and varying the angular position of the articles;

Fig. 4 is a View in plan;

Fig. 5 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view, taken along the line 5-5 of Fig. 6, of another embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 6 is a corresponding plan view;

Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional view, taken along the line l-l of Fig. 8, of the conveying mechanism of the embodiment shown in Fig. 5;

Fig. 8 is a plan view of the conveying mechanism shown in Fig. '7, the diiierent belts being shown cut-away to show the supporting and driving pulleys.

According to the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 1 to l, the machine comprises two felting mills F and F arranged in series one behind the other, a space i being provided between the outlet or" the first mill F and the feed point of the mill F These mills are of the usual kind and for this reason have been indicated only in very diagrammatical form. They are supported by a framework i carrying the longitudinally extending members 2 and 3.

The members T. and s of the two mills are mounted end to end at a (Fig. 2). Each member 2 has a vertical web 4, in which are rotatively mounted the spindles 5 of a series of upper felting rollers 5 and of a further series of lower felting rollers l. The ends of the spindles 5 of the rollers penetrate into a casing 9, in the walls of which they are rotative. Within the casing, which constitutes a gear box, these rotary spindles are operatively connected by means of gear trains (not illustrated) to shafts ill, in such manher that the upper rollers E rotate in the direction of the arrows f whilst the lower rollers 7 rotate in the reverse direction (arrow f Each shaft H] at the outlet of the fulling mill F or F is connected by an endless belt H and two pulleys i2 and it with the shaft is of an electric motor 15. Further, mechanisms contained within the casing s impart in the known manner to the rollers ii axial and circumferential oscillations of low amplitude and high speed.

This known assembly comprises, according to the invention, in front of the fulling mill F a horizontal apron constituted by a series of endless belts ifi passin over three rollers ll, 18 and E9, the axes of which in the plane of Fig. 1 form a triangle. This apron is operatively connected to a gear transmission is Hi 59, and is caused to be moved by the latter in the direction of the arrow f Between the mills F and F there is provided a special mechanism M which is adapted to ensure conveyance of the articles to be felted from the mill F to the mill F and also variation in the angular position of these articles.

This mechanism M is illustrated on a larger scale in Figs. 3 and -l, in which there is to be seen at E the last lower roller at the outlet end of the first mill F and at l the lower intake roller of the succeedin mill F The mechanism M comprises two arcuate supports iii secured to the members 2 and 3 of the two mills. In these arcuate supports there are rotatably mounted parallel horizontal spindles or shafts 2|. These spindles are all rotated in the same direction, i. e., in the direction of rotation of the outlet roller l and the intake roller i of the two mills.

For the purpose of their rotation there is keyed to the end of each spindle 2! a gear pinion 22. The pinions mesh with intermediate gear pinions 23. One of the end spindles 2i, for example that on the right in Figs. 3 and l, is extended at it and carries at itsend a gear pinion meshing with an intermediate gear pinion 26, which in turn engages with a gear pinion 27 keyed on the spindle or shaft 8 0f the roller 1 of the mill F On the spindles 2i there are keyed fixed conveying means or discs 23, 29, 30, Si or 32 having a smooth or preferably a slightly fluted periphery. These discs and sleeves provided therebetween are tightened together at the ends of the spindles 2! by means of nuts 3% in such a way that the discs rotate rigidly with their respective spindles 2!. From one spindle to another the discs 28 to 32 are staggered longitudinally, so that each of them engages between two of the discs carried by each of the adjacent spindles.

The discs 28 of the intake spindle and those 32 or" the discharge spindle are all of the same diameter. Further, with a view to facilitating the discharge of the articles to be felted out of the mill F and their intake into the mill F the discs 28 are on a slightly lower level than the roller l and the discs 32 are higher than the roller 1.

With regard to the three intermediate spindles, th diameter of the discs decreases progressively from the ends of the spindles towards the centre thereof (or vice versa). While three intermediate spindles have been illustrated, it is to be understood that any number of intermediate 4 spindles may be provided, the only condition being that at least one spindle having progressively varying disc diameters be disposed between the mills F and, F for the purpose of angularly shifting the hat bodies.

At the outlet end of the second mill F there is provided a fixed inclined surface 38 adapted to move the felted articles on to a horizontal endless band, which extends longitudinally not only below the mills F and F but also to the feed point of the machine below the apron l5. This endless band comprises a certain number of parallel belts 3d passing, at the outlet end of the machine, over a return roller 35 and, at the forward end, over a second roller 35. These rollers 35 and 36 are carried by a horizontal frame 31.

Between the two rollers 35 and 36, the two horizontal sides of each belt are supported by idle rollers 58. At the forward. end of the machine the endless band passes over an upper return roller 3%? and below the rollers ii and H! of the feeding apron, in such a way that between these rollers i! and IS the belts i6 and 34 have portions of their length superposed to one another. The endless band 34 is moved in the direction of the arrow f (Fig. l), for example by the roller which is motor driven, one of the journals of this roller being connected, by means of a gear train all, ll, housed in a casing 22, and pulleys d3-l3 connected by a chain or endless belt id, to an electric motor 45.

Preferably the speed of the endless band 34 differs slightly from that of the apron 16.

Finally, means it, constituted for example by strips of steel, are disposed between the belts 34 of the endless band and between the rollers I1 and 55s, to detach any articles which may adhere to the belts 35 after their passage between the two superimposed lengths of the belts 34 and IS.

The machine operates in the following manner:

The motors i5 and the motor t5 having been started, the various rollers are rotated in the directions indicated by the arrows.

The articles to be felted, for example hat bodies, are placed on the apron by two operators located one on either side thereof. The angular positions of these hat bodies may be as desired, for example those indicated at A and B (Fig. 2).

These bodies into the first mill F which they traverse from the left to the right, to be dis charged, partially felted, above the lower roller i in positions such as A or B these positions A and B being substantially the same as the positions A and E The intermediate mechanism M conveys them up to the mill F but, owing to the progressively varying diameters of the various intermediate discs fail and 3!, and hence the progressively varying peripheral velocities, the articles also undergo an angular displacement in their own planes and are presented to the mill F in positions such as A B They retain substantially these positions up to the moment when they are discharged on and the chute 33 at A and B to fall on to the extreme right hand end of the endless band 34. The latter returns them along their upper lengths to the feed point of the machine. The articles pass between the superposed lengths of the belts as and it between the rollers 53 and ii".

At this moment one of the two faces of each article is in contact with the belts it, whilst the other race is in contact with the belts 34. Since these belts it and 3d are travelling at different speeds, the two faces of each article are subjected to an action which tends to slide the one along the other, thus producing an automatic crozing whose extent depends on the difference in speed between the belts, and may be therefore predetermined.

Finally, the articles are detached from the belts 34 by the device 4%; and fall, after turning over, on to the feeding apron, where the operators are able, if necessary by hand, to carry out a fresh crozing, a change in the crease of the articles or a Variation in position according to the felting requirement before the articles once more pass into the mills. It is thus possible to pass them into the mills as many times as may be necessary.

As will be seen, the complete machine can be operated by merely two operators.

The above example comprises only two felting mills in series, but it will be quite obvious that it is possible to provide more than two felting mills, a conveying and position-changing mechanism M being disposed in each spacing between successive mills.

In Figs. 5 to 8 there is shown a modification of the machine comprising in point of fact and in the known manner a single felting mill F having, however, due to three superimposed sets of rollers ll, @8 and #39, two f lting levels. The'artieles to be felted are delivered between the upper rollers 31 and the intermediate rollers 48 by the endless apron, which identical to that in the preceding example, this apron being supported by rollers ll, i3 and it.

At the outlet point of the first felting level the articles are received by a mechanism M (Figs. 5 and '7) adapted to effect their angular displacement, their crozlng and their conveyance to the feed point 'e of the second felting level between the rollers 53 and $9. This mechanism M comprises an upper unit m which ensures by means of its upper face the conveyance and angular displacement of the articles, and by means of its lower face in addition a certain crozing action, in

combination with a lower unit in adapted to return the articles towards the feed point c at the second felting level.

The'unit m essentially comprises a series of juxtaposed conveying means or endless belts Ell.

These belts are passed, on the one hand, over pulleys 5! on a spindle or shaft resting on two vertical supports l d carried by a table 55, on the other hand, over pulleys 56 fixed or keyed on to a spindle or shaft ill and having progressively decreasing diameters, for example from the ends of the spindle towards the centre thereof. This spindle ill, which is rotative in bearings 58, is rotated by the intermediate roller A8 at the outlet end in the same direction of movement as this roller through the medium of a transmission comprising for example an endless belt 59 and pulleys or pinions 8t and 8!. The belts are moved in the direction of the arrow f (Figs. 5, 6 and '7) The lower unit m of the mechanism lVf comprises by a further set of endless belt 62 passing on the one hand about pulleys 63 rotatively mounted on a spindle or shaft 6 supported in bearings 65 and adjustable in position by means of screw devices 65, and on the other hand about pulleys i l disposed adjacent the lower set of rollers #29, in such a way that the upper lengths of the belts 62 are in contact at ed with the lower lengths of the belts 5t.

The belts 62 may be driven, for example by the of equal diameter rotatively mounted 52 carried Icy-bearings 53 in the 6,. end lower roller 39 through the medium of a gear train l l se 49 The intermediate gear 59 is slidable along its spindle so that it may be disengaged from the gears 48* and 19 and there-'- by allow the lower belts 62 to be driven by'friction contact with the upper belts 5t. 1

The machine is completed at the outlet end 9 of the second felting level by endless belts 653 similarly arranged as the left part of the endless belts 3 in the embodiment according to Figs. 1 and 2, these belts passing about around lower rollers 68 and l8 and an upper roller l! which is driven, in the same manner as the roller 3%; in the first embodiment, by a motor l5 through a transmission identical to that described hereinbefore. In the Fig. 5 it is shown that the belts 56 have no drive connection to a motor but are displaced merely by their frictional contact with the bolts (58.

Detaching means 46 are provided between the belts and the rollers H and H.

The machine operates in the following manner: As in the first embodiment, the articles to be felted are deposited on the feeding apron which moves in the direction of the arrow f and pass direction of the arrow f through the first felting level between the rollers 41 and 48. They leave the latter at b, where they are received by the upper lengths of the endless belts 50. Owing to the fact that the pulleys fixed to the shaft 51 have progressively varying diameters, the corresponding belts travel at progressively varying peripheral velocities. Thus, since the articles are subject to these different velocities, they are caused to be angularly shifted in their own planes. Finally, they fall at the end of these upper lengths on to the lower belts 52 at a. They are gripped between the belts 50 and 62 and-are moved towards the left. As a result of the gripping action between the belts 5i! and 62, which move at different speeds and are disposed on either side of the articles, the latter are subjected to a crozing action before they are introduced into the lower felting level between the rollers 48 and 49. The articles are moved between these rollers in the direction of the arrow 1", emerge. at e, and fall on to the belts 68, which finally return them to the feeding apron. The friction of the apron against the table 18*, the. friction of the spindles of the rollers ll, l8, 19 in their bearings and the resistance to rolling movement of the apron against these rollers, all contribute to brake the longitudinal displacement of the apron. The hat bodies are located between the apron and the belts 68, and the transmission of the movement of the belts E8 to the apron is effected through the medium of these bodies. In overcoming the braking effect of the aforementioned resistances, friction occurs between the two faces of the bodies and the adjacent apron and belts. The effect of this friction is to cause the two sides of the flattened hat body to slide one upon the other, i. e., a certain crozing effect occurs.

When the hat bodies are thereafter moved along the upper part of the apron, one or two operators situated on either side thereof check the degree of felting of the bodies. They may allow them to pass once more between the rollers 41 and 48 of the felting mill, or they may turn the hat bodies, croze them or change their angular position. These operations are, however, of a more simple nature than those which are usually necessary in felting machines not equipped with the arrangement according to the invention.

Although specific embodiments of the invention have been described hereinbefore, it is to be understood that many changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

For instance, although the discs in Figs. 1 to 4 and the pulleys in Figs. 5 to 8 have been shown as decreasing in size from the ends of the respective shafts toward the centres thereof, it must be understood that this specific arrangement is merely illustrative and not limitative, since it is clear that the diameters of the discs or pulleys may vary in any progressive manner. However, it is noteworthy that some advantage is to be gained in arranging the discs or pulleys in the manner shown in the drawings, since the concave transverse shape of the conveying means thereby obtained tends to urge the hat bodies inwardly and away from the normally dirty and oily regions of the machine 1. e. away from the roller ends and the various bearings and drive connections.

Having now described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a machine for felting hat bodies and other articles made of fibers capable of being felted of the type comprising at least three beds of rollers cooperating in pairs for felting purposes, a conveying mechanism adapted to receive the articles being felted from the output side or a first pair of cooperating roller beds and to deliver said articles to the input side of a second pair of cooperating roller beds, and to cause a change in the angular position of said articles relative to said pairs of cooperating beds of rollers while conveying these articles from one pair of operating beds of rollers to the other, the said mechanism comprising a plurality of spindles parallel to the axes of the said rollers, and discs rigidly secured to the said spindles, the said discs having diameters calculated in accordance with the spacing between the spindles and being disposed along the said spindles in such a manner that, on the one hand, each of the said discs engages between two discs carried by each or two adjacent spindles and, on the other hand, with the exception of the two end spindles, all the discs of which have the same diameter, the diameters of the discs carried by the remaining spindles vary progressively from the ends of the said spindles towards the centre of each of them.

2. A felting machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the diameter of the said discs decreases from the ends of the spindles towards the centre of each of them.

3. In a machine for felting hat bodies other articles made of fibers capable of being felted of the type coinpi -ag at three beds of rollers cooperating in pairs for felting purposes, a conveying mechanism adapted to receive the articles being felted from the output side of a first pair of cooperating roller beds and to deliver said articles to the input side of a second pair of cooperating roller beds and to cause a change in the position of articles relative to said pairs of cooperating beds of rollers while conveying these articles from one pair of cooperatins beds of rollers to the other, the said mechanism comprising two rotatable spindles parallel to the axes of rollers, pulleys-carried by the said spindles, which pulleys as regards one of the said spindles are all of the same diameter, while on the second spindle they have di'iierent diame- 8 to s from one pulley to the next, belts each carried by one of the said pulleys on each of the said two spindles, and means for rotating one of the said spindles in such a way that the upper lengths of the said belts are moved in a direction from the said first mill towards the said second mill.

4. A felting machine as claimed in claim 3, wherein the pulleys having different diameters are situated on the output side 01. the said conveying means.

5. In a machine for felting hat bodies and other articles made of fibers capable of being felted of the type comprising at least three beds of rollers cooperating in pairs for felting purposes, a conveying mechanism adapted to receive the articles being felted from the output side of a first pair of cooperating roller beds and to deliver said articles to the input side of a second pair of cooperating roller beds, said conveying mechanism comprising at least one set of parallel conveying means adapted to revolve at diiiierent peripheral velocities around a horizontal axis disposed parallel to said rollers, said peripheral velocities differing progressively said whereby when said articles are conveyed by said conveying mechanism they are angularly shifted thereby a certain amount in their planes.

6. In a machine for felting hat bodies and other articles made of fibers capable of being felted or the type comprising at least three beds or" rollers cooperating in pairs for felting purposes, a conveying mechanism to re eivc the articles being felted from the output side of a first pair of cooperating roller bees and to deliver said articles to the input of a second pair of cooperating roller beds, said conveying mechanism comprising conveying means, horizontal shafts spaced apart in a substantially la eral direction and disposed substantially parallel to said rollers, said conveying means being adapted to revolve around the axes said shafts at varying peripheral velocities which vary progressively along said axes, whereby when said articles are conveyed by said conveying mechanism they are angularly shifted thereby a certain amount in their own planes.

7. In machine for felting hat bodies and other articles made of fibers capable of being felted of the type comprising at three beds of rollers cooperating in pairs for felting purposes, a conveying mechanism to receive the articles being felted from the output side of a first pair of cooperating roller beds and to deliver said articles to the input side of a second pair of cooperating roller beds, said conve inechanisrn comprising conveying means revolvable around horizontal axes apart when viewed in plan, the peripheral extent of said conveying means varying progressively in a direction parallel to said axes so that when said conveying means revolve around said axes their peripheral velocities vary progressively direction along said axes, whereby when said articles are conveyed by said conveying mechanism they are angularly shifted thereby a certain amount in in their own planes.

8. In a machine for felting hat bodies and other articles made of fibers capable of being felted of the type comprising at least three beds of rollers cooperating in. pairs for felting purposes, a conveying mechanism adapted to receive the articles being felted from the output side of a first pair of cooperating roller beds and to deliver said articles to the input side of a second pair of cooperating roller beds, said conveying mechanism comprising at least one set of conveying means, a horizontal shaft transverse to the path of movement of said conveying mechanism, a drive connection between said shaft and the conveying means, the latter being revolvable around the axis of said shaft and being disposed at a radial distance from said axis which varies progressively from one conveying means to the next in a direction parallel to said axis so that rotation of said shaft causes said conveying means to move at varying peripheral velocities, whereby when said articles are conveyed by said conveying mechanism they are angularly shifted thereby a certain amount in their own planes.

9. In a machine for felting hat bodies and other articles made of fibers capable of being felted of the type comprising at least three beds of rollers cooperating in pairs for felting purposes, a conveying mechanism adapted to receive the articles being felted from the ouput side of a first pair of cooperating roller beds and to deliver said articles to the input side of a second pair of cooperating roller beds, said conveying mechanism comprising closed curvilinear conveying means, horizontal rotary shafts disposed parallel to said rollers and spaced apart from each other in a substantially lateral direction, said conveying means encompassing said shafts and being movable in vertical planes around the axes of said shafts, a drive connection between the latter and said conveying means; said conveying means having a peripheral extent which varies progressively in a direction parallel to said axes so that when said conveying means move around said axes the peripheral velocities thereof vary progressively in a, direction parallel to said axes, whereby when said articles are conveyed by said conveying mechanism they are allgularly shifted thereby a certain amount in their own planes.

10. In a machine for felting hat bodies and other articles made of fibers capable of being felted of the type comprising at least three beds of rollers cooperating in pairs for felting purposes, a conveying mechanism adapted to receive the articles being felted from the output side of a first pair of cooperating roller beds and to deliver said articles to the input side of a second pair of cooperating roller beds, said conveying mechanism comprising at least one set of parallel conveying means encompassing a horizontal axis disposed transversely of the path of movement of said conveying mechanism, said conveying means being adapted to move in vertical planes around said axis at varying radial distances therefrom and at varying peripheral velocities, these radial distances and peripheral velocities decreasing progressively from one conveying means to the next in such manner that the greatest radial dis tances and peripheral velocities pertain to the conveying means which are located adjacent the edges of said path of movement of said conveying mechanism, whereby said conveying mechanism angularly shifts said articles a certain 10 amount in their own planes and encourages them to move inwardly from said edges of the path of movement of said'conveying mechanism.

11. In a machine for felting hat bodies and other articles made of fibers capable of being felted of the type comprising at, least three beds of rollers cooperating in pairs for felting purposes, a conveying mechanism adapted to receive the articles being felted from the output side of a first pair of cooperating roller beds and to deliver said articles to the input side of a second pair of cooperating roller beds, said conveying mechanism comprising at least one set of conveying means, a horizontal shaft transverse to the path of movement of said conveying mechanism, a drive connection between said shaft and the conveying means, the latter being revolvable around the axis of said shaft and being disposed at a radial distance from said axis which progressively decreases from one conveying means to the next in a direction from each end of said shaft toward substantially the centre thereof, whereby said conveying mechanism angularly shifts said felt articles a certain amount in their own planes and tends to move said felt articles toward the substantially central, vertical longitudinal plane of said conveying mechanism.

12. In a machine for felting hat bodies and other articles made of fibers capable of being felted of the type comprising at least three beds of rollers cooperating in pairs for felting purposes, a conveying mechanism adapted to receive the articles being felted from the output side of a first pair of cooperating roller beds and to deliver said articles to the input side of a second pair of cooperating roller beds, and comprising conveying means adapted to revolve about an axis of a shaft transverse to the path of motion of the conveyor mechanism at peripheral speed progressively varying along said axis whereby said felt articles in being conveyed by said conveyor mechanism are also angularly shifted in their own planes, said conveying mechanism being characterized in that said shaft is horizontal and spans the entire width of the path of movement of said conveyor mechanism.

13. A felting machine as claimed in claim 3, wherein the diameters of said pulleys decrease from the ends of the spindle on which they are mounted toward the centre thereof.

References Cited in the file Of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,533,350 Genest Apr. 14, 1925 1,760,517 Rehfus-Oberlander May 2'7, 1930 2,203,409 Franz June 4, 1940 2,288,573 Reynolds June 30, 1942 2,632,937 Genest et a1. Mar. 31, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 558,265 Germany Sept. 5, 1932 

